Paul Articulates – Back in control

I have an affinity for watching the Mets’ AA affiliate the Binghamton Rumble Ponies.  To me, the AA ballplayer represents one who has overcome the challenges of adjusting to professional baseball, has risen above the crowd of aspiring ballplayers and is now playing alongside a good number of talented guys that will someday make the “show”.

There have been many that wore the Orange and Blue at Shea Stadium or Citi Field that have passed through the tunnel of the stadium in Binghamton which is now branded as Mirabito Stadium.  There will be many more.  

We have been blessed recently with a number of future stars in the much stronger Mets development system, and based on what we are reading this week from Mack on the draft there will be many more.

One player I would like to focus on today is Tyler Stuart.  Stuart has been a standout prospect in the organization since being chosen in the sixth round of the 2022 draft by the Mets.  The first thing you notice about Tyler is his size.  Six feet, nine inches, broad shoulders, square jaw – an imposing presence standing on the mound only 60’6” away.  

His mid-90’s fastball gets on the batter very quickly.  The second thing you notice is his confident, focused way of answering questions about his progress in the minors.  His eyes are fixed on the goal and he works hard to achieve it.

In 2023 he started 14 games last year for the single A Brooklyn Cyclones where he went 4-0 with a 1.55 ERA before being called up to AA Binghamton.  His combined 2.20 ERA was the best in the minor leagues last year among qualifying starters.  In the spring of 2024, Tyler was selected to pitch in the Spring Breakout Game this year and delivered a scoreless inning, throwing only eight pitches to induce three consecutive ground ball outs.  He was on a fast track.

Something happened at the beginning of the 2024 AA season that set him back.  He opened with a reasonable 3.45 ERA in April, but he was giving up a .306 average to opposing batters which seemed like a warning sign.  In May, the batting average dropped to .244 but his ERA bumped up to 3.98.  Then in June things really fell apart.  He registered a 7.90 ERA with a 1.83 WHIP and a .339 opponent batting average.  This was the first real test of how he would deal with adversity which every player eventually faces.

This post is not about his failures, but to predict that he is working his way through it.  Promising signs lately foretell a different Stuart on the mound in the second half of the AA season.  

It all started on June 18th, when Tyler Stuart picked up a win against Akron, yielding two earned runs in five innings with 2 walks and four strikeouts.  A solid outing compared to his earlier June starts, and a foundation to rebuild from.  Then on June 23rd he gave up only one ER in four innings with no walks and four K’s.  

The first of July signaled his return: 7 innings pitched, four hits, 2 ER, 1BB, and eleven strikeouts.  He followed that with two more stellar outings with one earned run and zero walks in each game.  Five solid starts, renewed control of the strike zone, and renewed confidence I am sure.  In those starts, he totaled 26 innings with 7 earned runs, 3 walks, and 27 strikeouts.

Watch for his next appearance, which will probably be on July 24th against the Richmond Flying Squirrels.  It should be a good one if this trend continues.

For more on Tyler Stuart, read his pre-season interview or listen to his chat with Matt Levine down in St. Lucie in March.